Unusual Calculations

Love’s corners keep multiplying

by Janice Ross

Suitable for Key Stage 3

Aims

To consider that by giving love, we generate love.

Preparation and materials

• You will need a pair of scissors and a piece of paper with the word ‘Love’ written on it.
• You will also need the PowerPoint slides that accompany this assembly (Unusual Calculations!) and the means to display them.

Assembly

1. Ask the students whether they remember being taught about subtraction when they were at primary school. To begin with, the sums involved very simple numbers such as 5 – 1 = 4 or 4 – 3 = 1
   
   The basic idea was that if you had a certain amount of something and you took some away, you were always left with less.
   
   
2. Ask the students to raise their hand if they agree with this understanding.
   
   Go on to explain that, although you partly agree with them, there are some situations in life when this isn’t the case.
   
   
3. Show the piece of paper that has ‘Love’ written on it.
   
   Point to the corners and count them – there are four.
   
   
4. Explain that if you cut one corner off the piece of paper, you could expect to end up with three corners because 4 – 1 = 3
   
   Use the scissors to cut off a corner of the paper.
   
   However, when you go ahead and do so, you actually end up with five corners.
   
   
5. Point out the word ‘Love’ on the piece of paper.
   
   Explain that it’s the same with love. If we give love away to others, we don’t end up with less; instead, we find that we have even more love to give.
   
   
6. Show Slide 1.
   
   Read out the quotation from John O’Donohue.
   
   You may wish to ask the students to discuss in groups what it means.
   
   
7. Explain that when we show love to others, the reward often outweighs what we have given. It may be the feeling of seeing someone truly grateful, or the feeling of joy that we experience. It might be that we realize that we aren’t the centre of the universe, and that other people really do matter. Many people speak of the joy of giving.

Time for reflection

Christians believe that God’s love is very great and that his love will never run out. They believe that God’s love never reduces, and it never will. His love goes on and on.

Show Slide 2.

Read out the Bible verses on the slide.

Point out that each of us has love to give away. When we show love and kindness to someone, it doesn’t mean that we have less to give. In fact, as we love more, we seem to be topped up with more love so that we can give it out to even more people. The more love we give away, the more there is!

Ask the students to think about how they can show love to others.

You may wish to ask them to discuss the question in small groups.

Encourage the students to reflect on today’s assembly and to put into action what they have learnt.

Prayer
Dear God,
Please help us to learn to love well.
Please help us to see the importance of others.
Thank you that your love never ends.
Please help us to continue to love, even when it is hard.
Amen.